Blogging is Therapy

This post is going to get a little more personal than I normally do with all of you, but I feel like it's kind of necessary. Blogging is my creative outlet, and sometimes your creative outlet turns into a little bit of therapy.

When we're browsing our favorite blogs with page after page of pretty photos, jaw-dropping style and whimsical typeface, we forget that blogging is work. Planning content, shooting, pulling and editing images, sourcing and uploading, and then thinking of something witty to go along with it? It can be exhausting, and at times feels much more like work (which I already get enough of at my 50-hour-a-week first job) than play.

It's tough to find time between long work days, all kinds of events each week, seeing friends, running errands and somehow getting some relaxation & sleep in there to truly devote the time I need to for blogging. Even when I'm not distracted, writing a well-researched post can take upwards of an hour. I should probably tell you now that this isn't a whiney, complaint-filled post, though. After a rougher than expected start to the year, the days have started to feel a little brighter (also contributed to the fact that I hate winter and I'm pretty sure I have SAD each year). I want to go out and enjoy all these awesome events and crazy experiences, especially while I'm young & living in NYC, but sometimes the reason I get to go to these events is because I have this blog. Vicious circle, ya know?

Victoria shared a really great post earlier this week on blogging & time management (which, if you blog yourself, I highly encourage you to go read!) & I found myself talking about it over drinks with Jessica last night (evidence of talking, here). She also mentioned another article she'd come across on The Middle Finger Project-a concept I completely adore because it sums up my attitude about everything-about why working for yourself is hard. You only get out what you put in, which means procrastinating less and pushing myself more. I need to be happy with what I have and work harder for what I want. I'm learning to block out times for this second "job" and to work with an editorial calendar, with plans to add another cork board to my wall to keep track of due dates, projects and inspirational images and quotes (also because my first cork board is covered in jewelry).

Thanks for suffering through my growing pains with me, and to those that continue to visit my blog each week-from the bottom of my heart, thank you!! You have no idea how much it means to me, and I hope I can inspire some of you with each post I share.

*image via